FORT COLLINS, Colo.—LeLand and Jessica Lebsack might be young, but they have a long view of history.

The Lebsacks, who are both U.S. Army sergeants, hope to leave a lasting message for their 6-month-old son, Haydn, as well as generations to come.

Earlier this month, the Lebsacks and a slightly squirmy Haydn participated in a recording session that will result in a video expected to be included in an interactive display at the new Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado.

Visitors to the plaza, which is near the entrance of Spring Canyon Community Park, will be able to use a touch screen to call up the stories of U.S. military veterans dating back to the Revolutionary War.

During their recording session, the Lebsacks described some of their experiences serving in the Army and what it’s like to be separated from family by deployments overseas.

LeLand Lebsack, a 26-year-old paratrooper, served with the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan. Jessica, 25, served in Iraq at a munitions supply center.

The Greeley couple said they decided to participate in the program so years from now Haydn will have a record of his family’s life and feelings at this time.

“I want him to know how proud we were to serve our country,” Jessica said.

LeLand said that at first he was reluctant to get involved with the project. But he became interested in leaving a message for Haydn as well as being part of the plaza’s tie to history.

“Veterans need to be remembered so if I can be a part of that … I’ll do whatever I can,” he said.

The plaza is an honorarium to active military and veterans with ties to Northern Colorado. When complete, it will include walkways, an amphitheater, a statue depicting a soldier carrying a child and a video screen scrolling the names of military service members past and present.

Another screen will have searchable biographical information about veterans, including video clips. The information will be divided into eras, said Diggs Brown, co-chairman of the project.

Organizers have been gathering video interviews of local veterans, many of whom have harrowing stories to tell about their experiences serving in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

But the plaza isn’t just about war, Brown said. It recognizes those who served in peacetime as well.

To get information about those who served farther back in time, residents have brought letters and other documents from long-gone relatives and read them on-camera.

In some cases, actors have been used to portray historical figures, such as General Artemas Ward, who served in the Revolutionary War and for a time was second in command of the Continental Army.

During a recent taping, local resident Philip Coggon played the role of Richard Appleton Maxfield, a longtime Fort Collins resident who served in the Spanish-American War. Maxfield died in 1949.

The Lebsacks both work as Army recruiters and are looking ahead to returning to civilian life in the next year. Both expect to be members of the Army Reserve.

In her interview, Jessica, who grew up in Fort Collins, said her time in Iraq was an educational and humbling experience.

“It made you appreciate the privileges that we have here in the United States—roads, running water, electricity—and how many people take that for granted on a daily basis,” she said.

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